


i know the kind of home we'd share

by homelywenchsociety



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Industrial Revolution, F/M, alternate universe - north and south fusion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2018-01-22
Packaged: 2019-03-07 22:27:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13444701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/homelywenchsociety/pseuds/homelywenchsociety
Summary: Jyn has a completely reasonable business proposal for Cassian Andor. She just has to keep her feelings for him in check, which is easier said than done.





	i know the kind of home we'd share

**Author's Note:**

> I'd call this a North and South AU, but really it's just the last scene of North and South, so it's the laziest AU in the history of AU's. Speaking of laziness, I am not a stickler for historical accuracy or even worldbuilding, so that's something to keep in mind if you ARE a stickler for either of those things. And I'm pretty sure you can read this if you haven't read the novel or seen the miniseries, but a familiarity with the source material is also probably helpful!
> 
> Thanks, as always, to my girl [CrimsonPetrichor](http://archiveofourown.org/users/CrimsonPetrichor) who edited this for me! Title comes from the song "I Don't Know His Name" from the musical She Loves Me.

“Are you sure you do not wish me to stay?”

 

Jyn looks up from her book to give her aunt the best withering stare she can muster.  Mon has asked her the same question no less than four times already today and, though she loves her aunt dearly, she finds herself growing irritated.  Nonplussed by her niece’s annoyance--a side effect of practically raising Jyn--Mon simply adjusts her bracelet and waits for Jyn’s answer.

 

“As I already told you several times, that won’t be necessary,” Jyn says as calmly as she can manage. “I believe Mr. Andor and I can manage a civil conversation without requiring your presence.”  When Mon gives her an incredulous look in response, she adds, “Besides, he is bringing his lawyer with him, so we shall be forced to be on our best behavior.”

 

That, at least, seems to mollify Mon enough that she continues to get ready to depart and Jyn can resume reading her book.  Or, in truth, pretending to.  She has been nervous about this meeting with Cassian Andor since she proposed it to him several days ago.  She knows that what she intends to do is the best idea for both him and herself, but she does fear how it will go over.  She and Mr. Andor seem destined to always be at odds with one another, and it is her hope that this business proposal of hers will do something to repair their friendship, even if she finds herself wanting something more than just friendship from him.  Such a thing would be impossible to even hope for, she reminds herself, after all that has happened between them.  But it is hard to convince her heart of this.

 

The last several months have been some of the hardest of her life.  Leaving Yavin after her father’s death had been a cruel irony on the part of fate, for she’d spent most of her time living there hoping and praying that she would be able to return home, only to get her wish in the form of the worst tragedy of her young life.  Jyn had been incredibly fortunate that her Aunt Mon had been willing to take her in once more.  Jyn knew that her aunt was worried for her, that she’d wanted to remove her niece from the setting of so much recent heartbreak as quickly as possible, but Jyn regretted that she had only a few days after the funeral in which to pack up the entire house and say her goodbyes.  She had managed quick farewells to Chirrut and Baze and some of the other mill workers she knew before she left, and she had felt obligated, for her father’s sake, to say goodbye to Mr. Andor and his family as well, despite how unwelcome a visitor she knew she would be in his home.  She had barely been able to meet his eye when she handed over her father’s books that she’d selected for him and taken her leave of him--she’d thought--forever.

 

When he had re-appeared in her life months later, many things had changed.  His manner towards her, while still awkward, had thawed considerably, though for what reason she could not be sure.  It made Jyn hopeful that they could someday grow to be friends. It was more than she could ever hope for, with the many disagreements and misunderstandings in their past. The inconvenience of her romantic feelings for him, which had only grown in the months of their separation, would just have to be ignored until they went away forever. At least, this was Jyn’s hope. Surely, stranger things had happened.  She could not possibly love him forever with no encouragement from the man himself and, as he’d been so adamant all those months ago, there was no chance of him ever feeling for her as he once had.  Really, Jyn thought, it was only a matter of time before she felt nothing for him but the friendship between business associates. Which is what they would be, if this meeting went according to plan.

 

Her desire to provide him with the capital to start his business up again was not the product of her guilt over rejecting his marriage proposal in the past, or even an attempt to secure his good opinion once more.  Nor was it out of pity for his reduced circumstances now that his business had failed.  The truth was that Cassian Andor was the best of the Yavin mill owners, the most receptive to his workers’ complaints, and the most progressive in his views.  He deserved to be in business and, if Jyn had the ability to help him, she would.  Just the other night, at dinner at her aunt’s house, he had told her of the list of names Chirrut and Baze had compiled of all the workers who would gladly return if he should ever reopen the mill.  The way he had looked at her, as if seeking her approval, had warmed her.  Even now, days later, the thought of it makes her heart beat fast--the two of them sitting close together, discussing his business. _This is what it would be like to be his wife_ , Jyn had thought at the time, before she could stop herself.   _We would talk of the mill and plans for the future. He would seek my advice in all things. Ours would be a marriage of equals, if he would only have me_.

 

Of course, such thoughts must be put aside.  Mr. Andor had sworn to her that he would never seek her hand in marriage again, that he could never feel that way for her after all that had happened.  She did not offer this money to him to sway his opinion of her or to encourage his affection; she did it because it was the right thing to do, for the both of them.  And, she reminded herself, he still might not accept her offer.  All of this careful planning and worrying might be for naught.

 

“If you are sure,” Aunt Mon says, drawing Jyn out of her thoughts.

 

“I am,” Jyn says, despite not feeling sure at all.

 

“In any case, I will be back in the afternoon,” her aunt says as she makes her way out of the room.  “Oh, and do invite Mr. Andor and Mr. Tuesso to come for dinner, if you don’t mind.”

 

“I will, Aunt.”

 

“Wonderful. Good luck, my dear,” Aunt Mon says, and departs.

 

Jyn is both relieved that the hour of her meeting with Mr. Andor is approaching so quickly and terrified of it ever arriving.  She had very carefully prepared her argument and thought of little else over the past few days, but proposing the idea to Mr. Andor himself will be an entirely different matter.  The steady, slow click of the hands on the clock in her aunt’s parlor is just beginning to drive her mad when it finally chimes with the arrival of the 11 o’clock hour. Jyn stands, suddenly overcome with anxiety.  While Mr. Andor is generally a punctual man, his lawyer is fastidiously so; if they were coming to her aunt’s house together, they should have arrived already.  Jyn is so perturbed by this that she considers seeking out one of the servants to see if the parlor clock is fast. The moment she makes up her mind to do so, however, she hears the door behind her open.

 

She turns around just in time to see Cassian Andor step into the room and remove his hat. There’s a horrible moment where Jyn worries she will remain frozen in place forever, so overwhelmed is she at seeing him again after just a week’s absence.

 

“Miss Erso,” he says, breaking the silence.  “I apologize if I have startled you.  The butler said I should see myself in.”

 

“You haven’t,” Jyn replies. “Startled me, that is.”

 

“My apologies. You seemed--” he begins to say, before cutting himself off with a shake of his head. “No matter.”

 

The abruptness with which he stops speaking is enough to spur Jyn into action, and she moves across the room to greet him properly.

 

“Thank you for meeting with me, Mr. Andor,” she says and offers her hand for him to shake. The result is a rather awkward moment, in which Mr. Andor begins to bow and almost collides with her proffered hand.  When he realizes what has happened, he pulls back and looks at Jyn with wide eyes.

 

“I have found some habits of Yavin society hard to break,” Jyn says, withdrawing her hand and offering him a smile instead.  She had hoped the handshake would make him feel more comfortable, that it would remind him of that time, long ago, when they had been able to put their differences aside, but it appears to have had the opposite effect; he seems more tense than before.

 

“I am trying to adjust to Coruscant customs myself,” Mr. Andor says, and he sounds apologetic.

 

“Oh, you mustn’t!” Jyn exclaims suddenly, only to regret it when Mr. Andor gives her another stunned look. “Forgive me,” Jyn continues, more quietly. “Only I am beginning to grow dreadfully tired of Coruscant society, and I should hate to see you adopt some of its worse customs.”

 

“I was surprised to find you have settled here,” he says. “I would have thought you would have gone abroad by now.” Jyn’s face must betray her confusion at this statement, because he hurries to clarify, “To Jedha. To be with your brother.”

 

Jyn can barely speak, she is so astonished by what she has just heard.  “My brother?” she asks, finding her voice at last.  “How do you know about my brother?”

 

“Your uncle. He told me about him on his last visit to Yavin,” Mr. Andor says, hesitantly, as if he’s done something wrong.

 

“Saw told you? About Bodhi?” Jyn asks.  Her throat feels dry and her voice comes out so faintly that Mr. Andor would likely have difficulty hearing her, if the room itself weren’t completely silent apart from the ticking of the clock on the mantle.

 

“He told me about the mutiny charges against him, and that he’s been living in Jedha to avoid them.” Mr. Andor pauses and gives her an appraising look before continuing, “He also told me that your brother came back to the country for your mother’s funeral.”

 

Jyn finds herself whirling around to avoid looking her companion in the eye.  She is suddenly unprepared for the conversation she is involved in, and covers her face in an attempt to keep her emotions under control.  This revelation changes nothing, Jyn reminds herself.  Just because he knows the truth about her brother does not mean his feelings toward her have changed.  She must rein her feelings in and keep their conversation to the business matters she intended to discuss.

 

When she turns back to Mr. Andor, Jyn has completely composed herself.  She even manages to speak calmly when she says, “My uncle should not have done that.  It was careless of him.”

 

Hurt flashes across Mr. Andor’s face at her words, and Jyn realizes she’s offended him.  “You must understand,” she tries again, more urgently this time.  “My brother is still in a great deal of danger. We have had to be so careful.”  

 

Mr. Andor nods solemnly, and Jyn hopes he understands what she is trying to tell him.  She needs him to know that she would never have lied--would never have risked her reputation so flagrantly--if it had not been necessary to do so.

 

“I would never--” he begins to say.

 

“I know,” Jyn cuts him off.  And she does know that this secret is safe with Mr. Andor.  Back when her mother was dying and Bodhi came to see her one last time, it had been so dangerous and they all had to take so many precautions.  Anyone who knew was a threat to Bodhi’s safety.  Jyn cannot find it in herself to regret lying to Mr. Andor at the time, but she is relieved that he knows now.  With the deaths of her mother, her father, and her godfather so close to one another, there are only a few people left who know Bodhi’s secret. It makes Jyn feel less alone to have Cassian Andor to share this with, selfish as that might be.  Yet another parting gift from Saw, whether he intended it that way or not.

 

“I never did ask you,” Mr. Andor says before pausing to choose his next words carefully. “I never asked how you were, after Saw died.”

 

“You offered your condolences, the first time you saw me after it happened.”

 

“Still,” he says, not quite looking at her. “I should have inquired about you. I have regretted it since, but the opportunity to speak to you privately never presented itself. Until now.”

 

Jyn wonders, in vain, if there is any way she can avoid answering him. She wants to steer their conversation as far away from her own feelings as possible, but he’s making that rather difficult for her. Finding she has no choice but to say something in response, Jyn says, “My uncle was ill for a very long time, although none of us really knew how bad his condition had become. He and I took a trip to Lah’mu before he died, to see the old house again, and it was obvious he wasn’t himself anymore. He was exhausted all the time, and I knew that it was almost over. It was shortly after that trip that he--” Jyn stops herself.  “It wasn’t a surprise, at least, this time.”

 

Mr. Andor is looking at her with concern painted all over his features. Jyn closes her eyes so she will not have to see his reaction when she says, “Losing my uncle--my godfather--it was like losing my father all over again. I cannot remember a time before I was in mourning, and I feel as though I will be in mourning for the rest of my life.”

 

It is a relief, Jyn thinks in the ensuing silence, to be in the company of a person who knows exactly what she needs.  Making this statement to anyone else--if she’d dared to say such a thing in front of her Aunt, or in one of her letters to her beloved brother--would have led to an outpouring of pity and concern that Jyn would not have been able to bear.  It would have been meant kindly, but it would still have been unappreciated.  Mr. Andor, on the other hand, says nothing, and it should be awkward, but Jyn finds comfort in it instead. It is one of the things she likes best about him, that they can understand one another without speaking sometimes.

 

Unfortunately, they cannot stand silently in her Aunt’s parlor forever, however much Jyn might like it.  She asked him here to discuss a matter of business, not to talk about Saw or Bodhi or the past or any of that.  Jyn inwardly curses herself for being so selfish.

 

“Is Mr. Tuesso not with you?” Jyn asks, suddenly noticing the absence of Mr. Andor’s lawyer.

 

Judging by the look on Mr. Andor’s face, he had also forgotten about his friend during their conversation. “Oh, yes,” he says, apologetically. “He sent word to me this morning that another one of his clients had asked to meet with him this morning. Some sort of emergency, I think.  He said he would be here as soon as he could, but that he might be late.  I apologize for not saying so sooner, but I--”

 

“Yes?” Jyn asks, after Mr. Andor pauses to clear his throat, but does not immediately begin speaking again.

 

“I was--” he begins, but he stops again and shakes his head.  “I assumed he would have sent word to you as well.”

 

“Oh,” Jyn says. Perhaps it is just her imagination, but she does not believe that is what Mr. Andor intended to say, if the way he now avoids looking her in the eye is any indication.  Deciding it matters very little, Jyn adds, “I do not believe Mr. Tuesso cares a great deal whether he inconveniences me or not. I have long since given up taking it personally.”

 

“I wasn’t aware you ever did,” Mr. Andor replies with a small smile.

 

Jyn wants to tell him there is quite a lot that he is not aware of, especially when it comes to her feelings, but she is trying to be his friend and such comments will not help her cause. Instead, she returns his smile with her own and gestures for him to take a seat.

 

“If we must wait for Mr. Tuesso to join us, we might as well be comfortable,” she says, before taking a seat herself.  Neither she nor Mr. Andor seem any more relaxed than they had been a moment ago, but at the very least it gives them something to do.

 

The two of them spend the next twenty or so minutes in excruciatingly awkward conversation about subjects that Jyn imagines neither she nor Mr. Andor are actually interested in discussing.  Mr. Andor has no further updates on her Yavin acquaintances since the last time they spoke, and she hesitates to ask too much about his meetings with several Coruscant politicians about the issue of strikes in the North for fear of reminding him of his own recent business troubles.  As for herself, Jyn is so unaccustomed to speaking freely of her brother to people outside of her own family that Mr. Andor’s polite inquiries as to whether she’s had a letter from Bodhi recently and about where specifically in Jedha he lives just set her on edge.  The clock on the mantle is an intrusive third participant in their stilted conversation and when Jyn looks over at it only to realize that it’s nearly an hour past their meeting time, she lets out a sigh of frustration that would have mortified her well-mannered Aunt, had she been present.  Mr. Andor, for his part, looks at her with concern.

 

Finding every part of this situation overwhelming to her already heightened nerves, Jyn rises from her chair and begins to pace.  “I am terribly sorry, Mr. Andor.  Only, did Mr. Tuesso not give you any indication of when he would arrive?” she asks, sounding childish and irritable even to her own ears.

 

“He only said he might be a little late. I never imagined he meant an hour. It’s very unlike him,” Mr. Andor says, checking his own pocket watch. Finding the same time there, he looks up at Jyn and asks, “Would you like me to go to his office to fetch him?”

 

Jyn is not entirely sure that she can survive any additional postponement of this meeting, and she is certain that she cannot bear admitting that she needs Mr. Tuesso here for emotional support because she is too much of a coward to talk to Mr. Andor alone.  Only one other option remains for her:  she must present Mr. Andor with her business proposal herself. Jyn, still pacing across the floor of her Aunt’s parlor, steels herself for this task, reminding herself for the thousandth time this morning that this plan will be what is best for the both of them and that Mr. Andor has no sensible reason to deny her.

 

“That won’t be necessary,” Jyn finally replies, turning to face him once more. “I had hoped to have Mr. Tuesso present for his legal expertise, but I believe I can explain the particulars without his assistance.  And if anything is unclear, you could always consult him later,” she adds, returning to her seat on the settee.

 

Mr. Andor’s eyebrows raise at this. “Legal expertise?” he asks, bewildered.  

 

“Yes, um--” Jyn says, clearing her throat.  She shuffles through the papers she has on the table in front of them, looking for the bank records.  “As I'm sure you know, I am the sole beneficiary of my Uncle Saw’s estate, which means I have inherited both his wealth and his property, which includes your, well, your mill.”

 

“I am aware,” Mr. Andor says, shortly.

 

Jyn knows that she must be going about this the wrong way, and she’s certain she has already offended him somehow, but she has no recourse but to continue. “I would be so disappointed to lose you. As a tenant, you see,” Jyn says hurriedly. “In truth, I know very little about being a landlord. Or landlady, if you will. It would be a great help to me if I did not have to find a new tenant.”

 

“I am sorry to inconvenience you, Miss Erso,” Mr. Andor says, his tone completely unreadable. “As for disappointment, I am no more pleased about the situation than you are. However, I have no doubt that _you_ , at least, will do just fine in securing a new tenant.”

 

“This is why I wanted Mr. Tuesso here,” Jyn says, sinking back into her seat in exasperation. “I am not explaining this well.”  She places a hand over her eyes, trying to collect her thoughts so she might speak more clearly.

 

“Explaining what, exactly?”

 

Jyn sighs and forces herself to sit up straight and look Mr. Andor in the eye. “I have some eighteen thousand pounds sitting in the bank at present and gaining very little interest.  I was thinking I could give it to you,” she says, trying for a confident tone but faltering when she sees the shocked expression on Mr. Andor’s face.  She looks down at her hands, clasped together and resting on her skirts.  “It would not be a gift, obviously.  It would be an investment, so that you could reopen the mill.  I believe you would give me a much greater return on my investment, and that it would be a much better use of my uncle’s money.”

 

The ensuing silence is unbearable to Jyn and, against her better judgement, she continues speaking, if only to fill it.  “Of course, this would be a business arrangement.  You would not have to spend any time with me, or speak with me at all. If you agreed to my proposal, I would bring all business matters to Mr. Tuesso and he could bring them to you. We need never see one another, if you so wish,” she says, finally forcing herself to stop rambling. She must give him the opportunity to respond, no matter how terrified she is of what he will say.

 

During her whole speech, Jyn had never once looked up from her clasped hands. The last thing she needed was to meet Mr. Andor’s eyes and lose what little composure she had left.  Still, when she feels his hands cover her own, all of her self-possession seems to leave her at once. She withdraws one of her hands and uses it to cover her face, not wanting Mr. Andor to see the emotions she’s struggling to contain.

 

“Jyn,” he says, softly, and he’s kneeling in front of her, holding the hand that isn’t covering her face in both of his.  When she does not respond, he squeezes her hand tighter. “Jyn, please. You must tell me. Tell me I am being terribly presumptuous. Tell me that I have been suffering alone during these past few weeks of renewed acquaintance, during these many months of separation.  Tell me that I am still alone in my feelings and I will--”

 

Mr. Andor stops speaking abruptly when Jyn begins to shake her head.

 

“You are not alone,” she says, still with her hand over her face, too overwhelmed to look at him. “I have-- You don’t--” she sighs, and finally, _finally_ , looks at him. “You are not alone.”

 

Jyn would be the first to admit that this all amounts to a rather pathetic romantic confession on her part.  She does not have a way with words and she feels that inadequacy greatly in this moment. Mr. Andor, though, does not seem to mind, for in an instant he is releasing her hands and leaning forward until his lips meet hers.  Without thinking, Jyn reaches up to seize the lapels of his jacket, to hold him in place, to draw him closer. Seeming to read her thoughts, Cassian wraps his arms around her, pulling her closer still. Jyn hardly knows what to do with herself, she feels so much at once. In all her worrying about this meeting, the thought that this could happen had never once occurred to her.  Suddenly, the future that lays before her is so much brighter than she could have ever dared hope for. It is overwhelming and comforting all at once.

 

Jyn is not the only one overwhelmed, as she discovers when they finally break apart, a while later. Cassian buries his face in her shoulder, and she thinks she can feel him laughing.

 

“What is it?” she asks, and she cannot actually bring herself to be worried. She runs her fingers through the hair at the back of his neck, not willing to stop touching him, lest it should break the magic of the moment.

 

“I just--” Cassian begins to say, but he is still laughing. He turns his head so he is facing her fully, leaning into her touch, and he gives her a look unlike any she’s seen from him before. His smile is small, but his eyes betray the true depth of his happiness. Jyn cannot believe that she has inspired such joy, and yet she knows it to be true. “I have never been so happy for Mr. Tuesso to miss an appointment with me,” he says, finally, when he has recovered.

 

Jyn is unaccustomed to such light hearted teasing from Cassian and gives a small shrug of her shoulders in retaliation for his impudence—just enough to jostle him but not to actually push him away. He laughs again, and she thinks how nice a sound it is, how she hopes to hear more of it. And when he leans in and kisses her on the cheek, as if he cannot stop himself from touching her either, she thinks she could get used to all of this.

 

“I wonder who will be more surprised by the news,” Jyn says. “Him, or my aunt?”

 

“The only thing that will surprise Kay is that you will have me,” Cassian says, simply.

 

“Then he is not as smart as he thinks he is,” Jyn replies, trying not to sound defensive.

 

Cassian smooths his hands over her shoulders and Jyn feels herself relax. He kisses her again, briefly, and, when he pulls away, his expression is serious once more. “You will have me, though, won’t you?” he asks, earnestly. “You’ll let me bring you home?”

 

He doesn’t have to say anything else for Jyn to know what he means. She understands what he’s asking and what he’s promising: a future, a family, a life together. She will have him and he will have her.

 

“Yes,” Jyn says, smiling at the thought. “Let’s go home.”

 


End file.
